Electrical ablation has been employed in medicine for the removal and treatment of a variety of abnormal tissues or growths, such as cancers or tumors. Electrical ablation may be used to treat benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), restricted gastric tissue, menorrhagia, and to remove adipose tissue. Other uses include removal of excess skin following bariatric surgery. Tumors in solid organs, such as the liver or lungs, may be treated or destroyed using electric direct current (DC) pulses. The abnormal tissue may be removed or treated with energy delivered by electrodes attached to therapy probes. The electrodes are positioned proximate or in contact with the diseased tissue and then energized by a variety of energy sources.
Menorrhagia is a medical condition that describes heavy and prolonged menstrual bleeding. While there are many potential causes for menorrhagia, the most common include hormone (estrogen and progesterone) imbalance, pelvic inflammatory disease, uterine fibroids, and infection. Current treatments for menorrhagia include iron supplements, prostaglandin inhibitors, oral contraceptives, and in severe cases—endometrial ablation and hysterectomy. Endometrial ablation involves introducing a conforming bipolar electrode into the uterine cavity, insufflation of the uterine cavity with CO2 (to check for cavity integrity), and then application of bipolar RF energy to the uterine wall for 90 seconds or more. An alternative to RF ablation is ultrasonic ablation.
Bariatric surgery remains a popular and successful option to assist morbidly obese patients. The procedure substantially reduces the patient's body mass index and resolves many associated comorbidities of obesity. One of the potential problems associated with bariatric surgery is the excess skin remaining after the patient has lost substantial weight. The effects of bariatric surgery occur so quickly and with such an impact that the body loses weight at a much faster rate than it can reduce the excess skin previously needed for the larger body. Many patients who are self-conscious of their appearance will consult with cosmetic surgeons following the bariatric procedure to investigate options for having the excess skin surgically removed.
While current methods and devices used in electrical ablation are effective, one drawback with conventional electrical ablation therapy is the resulting permanent damage that may occur to the tissue. This may be particularly true with uterine tissue, where conventional ablation therapy could cause permanent damage and potentially may result in complications with becoming pregnant. Other drawbacks of conventional ablation therapy are cost, lengthy recovery periods, and it can be extraordinarily painful.
Accordingly, there remains a need for improved electrical ablation methods and devices. There is also a need to provide improved electrical ablation therapies over time.